Our seaside town has been taken over by posh tourists – they rent holiday homes for £500 a night… we’ve been kicked out
FUMING residents of three towns overrun by posh tourists blowing up to £500 on Airbnbs say they are being driven out.
Locals in the North Devon villages of Lynton, Braunton and Croyde say their once down-to-earth boltholes are now teeming with Audi’s and folk from “up country”.
John, a candle-maker in Lynton, said the issue is so bad that nearby Lynmouth is almost devoid of permanent residents.
He told The Times: “If you walk up Tors Road, all the houses on the left, most of them are Airbnb. I can remember when that was all families up there.
“I had a woman in the other day, she told me she was paying — I don’t know if this is right — £500 for three nights for an Airbnb to stay down in Lynmouth. I couldn’t believe it.”
Over in the village of Braunton – population 10,200 – locals are just as livid.
Emma Hookway, 43, a single mum-of-three, grew up on a farm near the famous surfing village and is determined to fight back.
She fumed: “I was born here. I’ve got three generations in the graveyard.
“Why should I be forced out of where I call home because everyone wants to do Airbnb?”
Airbnb was founded in 2008 and allows homeowners to let out their homes on a short-term basis.
Experts believe the growth in its popularity in the UK is in part a knee-jerk reaction to gross income taxes faced by buy-to-let landlords.
Struggling to make a decent return on letting out homes long-term, many have turned to Airbnb where they can make vast sums quickly.
Landlords have also been known to buy up new build homes to turn into Airbnbs.
In many areas, this has seen housing stock dry up, leaving locals with limited and affordable options.
None other is this more clear than in the North Devon town of Croyde, near Barnstaple.
Graham Bell, North Devon council’s lead member for housing, says the issue has become so bad that increasing numbers of people now live in tents, caravans and boats.
And it’s also stretching local GP, pharmacy and other essential services.
He said: “We do need people coming in. But they can’t move into the area if there are no houses and if all the new-builds are being snapped up for other uses.
“The initial idea of Airbnb was supposed to be that you could rent out a room and make a bit of extra cash, and that was a fantastic idea but if entire communities are being lost, then it has gone too far.”